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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207330">Close Encounters of the Bear Kind</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alez_sa/pseuds/Alez_sa'>Alez_sa</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>IT, IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Animatronics, Baby Georgie, Kid Fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:47:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,897</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25207330</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Alez_sa/pseuds/Alez_sa</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The OG Losers celebrate Richie's birthday! Was watching some vids on 70's, 80's, 90's animatronics and have been into IT fanfic lately so somehow this came to mind.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Close Encounters of the Bear Kind</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Enjoy this really random fic!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Richie had made a huge fit about wanting to celebrate his seventh birthday party at Party Junction. The musty kids paradise was filled with everything from arcade games, crappy prizes, an animatronic band, and vague impressions of greasy pizza stains on the carpet. What more could a kid want? Of course Bill, Stan and Eddie couldn't be more disgusted with the idea, after all they were getting too old for that kind of stuff. Plus there was no way Eddie would let his secret go about how he was deathly afraid of those creepy talking animatronics, not if he didn't want to be ridiculed to death. But in the end, Richie's endless plea's got under their skin pushing them to the breaking point and they gave in to his ridiculous request.</p><p>And maybe Richie could see right through Eddie, no matter how hard he tried to hide his fear. The taller boy could read those massive doe eyes like none other. They exposed all he needed to know at the mention of Bobby the Bear and his gang of Misfits. To ease the tension, there were promises of half of Richie's tickets if Eddie went and, well, Richie was good at arcade games, so maybe it would be worth it. So Eddie worked up the courage to ask for permission from his mom to go to Stan's, cause there was no way his mom would let him go somewhere "dirtier than a public restroom". "Eddie that building is crawling with diseases!" She had exclaimed once with her all-knowing voice. "They don't ever clean that place you know!"</p><p>The big day had arrived and it was just as bad as the boys were expecting (except Richie of course) and the gang let themselves be dragged around to various games through crowds of other kids. They approached a game called "Mermaid Treasure Hunt!" And Stan rolled his eyes at the girlish style of the game.</p><p>"Ew the buttons are s-s-sticky!" Bill rubbed the soda residue onto his pants while Richie dug in his pockets for two tokens.</p><p>"Doesn't it just add charm to the place?" Richie said, batting his eyes before turning to face the screen. His glasses reflected the pink light of the screen that illuminated his features in a pleasant glow.</p><p>Stan's deadpan voice piped in on Richie's right, "Not when the buttons get stuck and you waste your tokens."</p><p>"Don't be such a grandma, Stan. Or else you'll lose your Stan the Man title."</p><p>"I hope so..." Stan muttered and he gave a the room a dull once over, making note of the kid who'd just dropped his ice cream onto the hockey table in the middle of what looked like an intense game.</p><p>"Besides, this game is the best in the house. It's so easy to win tickets and I'm dead set on getting that walkman this time." The boys turned to look at the prize counter and sitting gloriously on the tallest shelf was a brand new walkman priced at 10,000 tickets.</p><p>"Richie there's no way you'll get that many tickets." Eddie squeaked, talking a mile a second.</p><p>"Do you doubt me young padawan? You have much to learn from your master." The bad impression of Yoda was forgotten in favor of Richie pinching Eddie who slapped frantically at the other boys hand.</p><p>"Get your filthy paws off me! I will strangle you with these tickets!" Eddie yanked at the tickets being dispensed from the machine and shook them in front of Richie. Richie glanced behind the shorter boy and a toothy grin covered his face. "I can think of another animal who'd want to get his paws on you." Eddie made a confused look before turning, his face instantly contorting into something akin to horror. Lumbering their way was Bobby the Bear himself in all his bug eyed, matted fur glory. Like a walking grease pan from all the children's pizza fingers. Eddie must have remembered who he was with because he made an attempt at schooling his features. His tiny fists clenched at his sides as he exclaimed, "I have to go to the bathroom!" He left the boys after making a mad dash in the opposite direction of the approaching character, unzipping his fanny pack to most likely huff at his trusty inhaler.</p><p>"What was that all about?" Stan asked but Richie only shrugged and resumed playing his game.</p><p>Later on the boys were called over by Richie's dad to come eat some pizza. Bill's parents were seated as well with a young Georgie looking about in his mom's arms. The Denbrough's and the Tozier's were making polite conversation when Richie approached with a large bundle of tickets he could barely hold with two hands, requiring Stan to help him carry the trail behind him.</p><p>"Woah kiddo, you could run a small country with all those tickets," Mr. Tozier said with humor and went to help the boys carry the tickets over. They sat next to each other and started to organize the clutter so it looked neat like their other two thick rolls.</p><p>"Maybe I'll have some leftover to buy Eddie some gaming skills." Eddie scoffed and huffed in anger across the table until Richie's dad pulled his son into a noogie, flashing a grin and wink at Eddie much to his delight. Richie squirmed and thrashed under his tight grip but it was no use.</p><p>"That'll teach ya. Now keep rolling up these tickets." Richie snuck a glare at Eddie and found him and his friends laughing into their pizza. He felt his cheeks burning but couldn't keep a small smile from appearing as he looked down to work on the tickets.</p><p>"Ladies and Gentleman! May we have your attention please!" A drum roll came from the stage to let the crowd know the show was beginning. One look at Eddie and Richie could see worry creeping onto the young boys features despite the dimming lights. Richie took this time to push a roll of tickets toward him, bumping them against the boys arm. Eddie look down then up at Richie, brows furrowed. "These are for you," he said shyly in an attempt to cut through the noise of kids screams of joy. Eddie frowned further, "This doesn't look like half to me."</p><p>"I'll win you some more later, Eddie-bear." And at that Richie turned back to work on his roll. All around him children jumped up to get a look at the Misfit's who had delved into their pre-recorded conversation on stage and then transitioned into their first song number, an up beat rock song with corny lyrics. Bill's mom clapped little Georgie's hands as he stared in blank awe at the show, little mouth gurgling as if he were repeating the lyrics in baby language. For another twenty minutes Stan, Bill, Eddie, and even Richie put up with the annoying cheer and made a game of flashing faces and kicking each others feet. Stan landed a good one on Richie and he practically jumped up and hollered. Richie's sister, who was forced to tag along, sniggered. Richie could feel his irritation spike and took it upon himself to flick a pepperoni at her in retaliation.</p><p>It seemingly was a big mistake as his mom made an appearance from around his dad and gave him a quick chastisement about throwing food; but, that seemed to be it before she disappeared once more. Richie usually received harsher lectures yet today maybe his mom was giving him a get out of jail pass just because it was his birthday. But lately even the long sermons on good manners were dwindling and maybe it had more to do with his mother beginning to give up on something she couldn't seem to control let alone understand. More often than not his mother let out a tired sigh and resumed what she was doing rather than put the effort or energy into giving a thought towards Richie's manic boyish nature, and he couldn't tell if he should be sad or happy over his lax parenting. </p><p>Richie turned his attention back to his sister who pouted and balled up her fists to mock cry before getting up to leave to the arcade with her friend, very well knowing that Richie was predictably pointing the finger at her back. At last the band finally wrapped up its show and resumed softer, mellow background music.</p><p>While the dining hall slowly emptied, Richie was practically buzzing in his seat, itching to get up and move around. It was then a plan popped up in his head. He smiled suspiciously at Eddie and gave a final kick at his shin. "OW, you asshole," although he muttered the last part to avoid the Tozier's  looks. "The hell was that for?" But Richie ignored him and his calls as he got up and strolled through row of people towards the stage standing next to the big man Bobby himself. Nothing like egging Eddie on so he'll take the bait. Much like how their arguments start with Richie saying something snarky just so Eddie could snap something in return. They could go in back and forth like that for hours, days if they didn't have to eat.</p><p>Making sure Eddie had all eyes on him, Richie began making a big show out of climbing the stage to the horror of Eddie who screeched and ran to the other boy, yanking at him. It was admirable how Eddie quashed his fears to make room for bravery when it was most needed, Riche thought to himself. He wished everyone could see what he did and wanted to let them know to never doubt the small gremlin, annoying as he may be. </p><p>"Get down Richie! You're gonna get us in trouble! They'll." Tug. "Confiscate." Tug. "All." Tug. "The tickets!" He hissed. Richie ignored him though in favor of cackling and reaching for the animatronic.</p><p>"You think if I kicked him in the dick he'd feel it?"</p><p>As Eddie played tug of war with Richie's leg and the birthday boy laughed in glee, neither boy noticed the mechanical whir that was the seven foot tall grizzly bear rotating his body to face them. His plastic eyes peered ominously down with an open grin and his ugly snaggleteeth. It was when he knelt over to the boys level that they had finally taken notice.</p><p>"I'd like to see you try," A beat and then the perverse drop of it's jaw, "Kiddo."</p><p>The boys didn't waste a second scrambling away from the stage for their lives, screaming to the high heavens. They couldn't beg Richie's parents fast enough to get the hell out of there, both talking over each other and making no sense what so ever. And that was how their last visit at Party Junction ended.</p><p>The evening carried on at Richie's house where the boys continued the party with cake and presents. Stan and Bill refused to believe what the other two boys had to say, chalking it up to their imagination. So the topic of Bobby was put in the past and the night ended with horror movies and nightmares of animatronics taking over the world Terminator style. The ticket bundles were left discarded in his moms purse, and Richie promised himself he'd never go back to redeem them. Walkman be damned.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This really wasn't supposed to be anything more than the paragraph with Richie wanting to kick the animatronic in the dick and Bobby kneeling down to scare the kids but suddenly couldnt stop myself from seeing where it went. Kinda glad I didn't stop there. Places like Chuck E Cheese scared me as a kid so kicking one in the crotch is a mood but safe to say as an adult I think Im over my fear lmao.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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